The Immortal Embryo

SPIRITUAL OR IMMORTAL EMBRYO.  In Chinese culture the Spiritual Embryo is the core energy in a human being, the original energy of the body’s conception. It is this energy, when led through various practices, to the center of the brain (the pineal gland, or nihuan point in the Chinese medical system) that results in full-realization enlightenment. Through various breathing techniques, one can return to the original embryonic breathing pattern, which is the union of yin and yang and the basis of the realization of the Tao. The cultivation of the Spiritual Embryo is the central metaphor for the evolution of mind and body in Chinese culture.

This idea of the Immortal Embryo (sheng tai) goes very far back in Taoist internal alchemy practices. The basic idea is that through continually practicing internal alchemy, one develops an immortal, spiritual embryo. Then, after further practice and refinement, this spiritual embryo actually emerges from the body of the practitioner, out through the crown or Heavenly Gate point at the top of the head. We can see illustrations from ancient China of the practitioner sitting in meditation with a small fetus floating above his head. The Immortal Embryo is also described as a form of pure yang spirit. Upon death thispure yang energy will live on outside the body.

 

In Taoism it is believed that not all people achieve reincarnation. For the vast majority of people who do no spiritual practice, upon their death their hun and po souls separate and they are basically “recycled back into the Tao.” But those who do cultivation have an opportunity to come back into the world again for further teaching or to help others along the Way.

Here is a description of the nine stages involved with creating the Immortal Embryo.

(1) the living ch’i circulates freely and unimpeded throughout the body; (2) the essence, the semen (ching), collects in the lower cinnabar field; (3) the sacred embryo begins to assume the form of a human embryo; (4) the two souls of the sacred embryo come into being; (5) the embryo is fully formed and has various supernatural powers; (6) inner and outer yin and yang reach their highest intensity and the embryo merges with the body of the adept; (7) the five internal organs are transformed by the power of ch’i into those of an immortal; (8) an umbilical cord develops, through which the breath is channeled during a practice known as embryonic breathing; (9) form and Tao combine and clouds form below the feet of the practitioner, on which he ascends toward Heaven thereby completing the metamorphosis.

- The Shambhala Dictionary of Taoism

Now whether this is an actual physical experience or if it is more of an inner spiritual or energetic one, the spiritual attainment is the same. There will be physical and energetic experiences connected with this. Just as with a mother carrying a child, much care must be taken to nourish and strengthen both the body and the spirit of the practitioner. It is only in this way that a successful birth of the Immortal Embryo can happen.

Is enlightenment elitist?

The concept of the chakras, or energy wheels within the body, is common to both Chinese and Indo-Tibetan subtle body theoretical frameworks. The Chinese describe the energy as moving in circular patterns in the body. The Indo-Tibetan systems describe a central channel with a solar and lunar set of parallel meridians, which must be united to fully open the central channel. When these energies are integrated, there is said to be realization. Similarly, the kundalini theory describes the energy as traveling from the base of the spine to the top of the head.

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The nihuan point, which corresponds with the pineal gland, represents the third, or wisdom eye. The human body is actually a universe which can be described in alchemical terms as "as above, so below" which sees the human body as both the microcosm of the multiverse and the fundamental source of the design of the cosmos.

According to Taoist alchemical theory, the pineal gland of the enlightened adept becomes equivalent to the North Star because everything between heaven and earth has become one being. The mind and body of the adept is identical to the mind and body of the universe simultaneously. This idea that the inner dimensions are actually more real than our conventional third-dimensional reality is based upon the ability of advanced practitioners who travel between inner worlds. The other basic idea is that the reproductive energy of the lower body can be taken to the head to activate the brain and increase the luminosity of the mind. 

Chinese alchemy is based on the idea that aging can be dramatically reduced if the original pre-birth energy of the body is restarted by natural breathing practices. The basis of Taoism is that embryonic breathing results in a kundalini activation, the Golden Flower, or the union of the individual with heaven and earth, the higher and lower dimensions of reality being unified into a single whole. This single whole is the Tao or universal void. 

The goal of meditation is for the individual to open the third eye by systematically cultivating the mind and body, using variations of heat yoga. All of these alchemical systems describe the human body as a crucible, which can be heated by specific practices, both internal and external, which greatly increase the overall luminosity of the mind/body continuum.

Is enlightenment elitist? To get good at something one must study and practice. There is more access to information about the various practices used to achieve enlightenment through the globalization of our information systems. The nirvana meme has gone into the advertising industry, as well as commercial sports, which use Zen concepts like the Zone or Peak Performance to enhance an athlete's psychological condition. The end result is that a spiritual, non-religious dimension is recognized in Western science as normal. What do you think?

 

 

Shen Spirit

The last of the Three Treasures is shen. Shen is also called spirit or consciousness. It is what gives our lives meaning and links us with our divine source. The shen is said to reside in the heart and to open through the eyes, as in, “The eyes are the mirrors of the soul.”

A doctor of Chinese medicine can tell the seriousness of a condition by looking into the patient’s eyes. Bright or clear eyes indicate that the shen or spirit is strong; then the chances of recovery are good. Clouded, glazed or unfocused eyes indicate a more doubtful prognosis.

The shen is also the seat of the mind. Cognitive thinking, short-term memory and the ability to reason are all qualities of the shen. Shen is also formed at conception, but is replenished continually thereafter.

Shen disharmonies appear as psychic or psychological problems. In Chinese medicine it is called a “restless or disturbed spirit.” Insomnia, memory loss, inability to concentrate, too much dreaming, and confused thinking are all also signs of a disturbed shen.

To the Chinese, the mind also resides in the heart. “Follow your heart, learning by heart, listening to your heart”—these all come from this belief. As these sayings are also used in the West, could it be that somewhere long ago we Westerners also knew something about this heart/mind connection?

Chi: Basic Life Force

The second Treasure is chi (qi). Chi can be thought of as basic life force. Other terms would be prana, orenda, or vital energy. It is what animates us, what gives us life. It warms us, keeps our organs in place and directs all our movements. There are different kinds of chi, including organ chi, and protective, or wei chi. The Chinese, even today, refer to the weather as a kind of chi.

One of the more familiar types of chi, at least for those of us who have experienced acupuncture, is meridian chi. This type of chi travels throughout our body in specific pathways or meridians, linking organs to each other. This is what acupuncturists tap into when they insert needles.

We get chi from the air we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink. This is why it is so important to eat fresh, healthy food. Poor eating habits—eating too many processed foods with little chi in them will, in turn, produce poor chi in our bodies.

By understanding that all things in the universe are just different expressions of chi, one can see why the sages have always said, “All things are one, and the one is all things.”

True Nature of the Mind

According to the Mahamudra and Mahasandhi/Ati yoga systems, considered the most advanced philosophical sciences of Tibetan civilization, the true nature of the mind is complete and perfect awareness; the underlying purpose of reality is to achieve a greater level of creative awakening through the self-observation of the Original Mind.

The human body perceives reality in terms of waking, dreaming and sleeping states of consciousness in which material, dream and primordial levels form the structure of the mind. The completion stage of meditation results in a union of the three bodies—material, subtle and super subtle, which is both the trikaya of Buddhist meditation theory and the Trinity of Christian Gnosticism. The Christian Trinity is also the description of the three bodies, known in Sanskrit as nirmanakaya, sambhogakaya and dharmakaya. In Latin alchemical terminology we have corpus (physical body), anima (soul), and spiritus (original spirit).

The true Philosopher's Stone of Western civilization is the deepest level of the unconscious mind and is represented as the Secret of the Golden Flower in Chinese alchemy and as the kundalini in Indian yoga. In Buddhism this primordial level of awareness is described as the dharmakaya truth or reality body, which must be united with the sambhogakaya (subtle body) for true Buddhahood to occur.

The concept of the three bodies and their union is the basis of non-theistic Asian inner science. These inner sciences are based upon thousands of years of thought- experimentation in which full-brain activation is sought using a variety of techniques that access the original energy of the body. Inner science includes internal alchemy, the Six Yogas of Naropa, meditation, breathing exercises and sexual yoga.

Until recently, it was not understood that the Spiritual Embryo of Taoist cultivation was the Truth body of Buddhism, the kundalini of yoga, and the hermetic androgyne of Western alchemy. The Tibetan description of the completion stage of meditation is the union of mother and son lights, with the mother light representing the dharmakaya body and the son light representing the sambhogakaya. In China, the union of mother and son lights is described originally as the marriage of the dragon and tiger. All these terms used are really trying to describe the same concepts—the dragon and tiger are the dharmakaya and sambhogakaya bodies, the causal and astral bodies, and the spirit and the soul. The process of uniting material, subtle and void levels of reality into a single whole is represented as the Tao, as well as the Western term The Great Work.

The Christian Gnostic description of enlightenment is based upon the union of body, soul, and spirit. The human body is composed of interdependent fields of matter, sound and light. The completion stage of authentic meditation is based on the unification of sound and light, which is the basis of Tantric Yogic theory. In many cases, the theory and methodology of subtle body activation has been lost in modern times.

Story of the Rainbow Body

In 1998 a strange story emerged from a village in the remote Kham region of eastern Tibet. It is said that a rainbow appeared one day above the cabin of Khenpo A- Chos, a devout lama who had continued to practice and teach Buddhism despite the severe restrictions of the Chinese government. He was in his eighties, but not sick. Nevertheless, he lay down on his bed, began reciting the Tibetan mantra "Om mani padme hum," and died.

Shortly after the nuns, monks and others who studied with him began the Tibetan Buddhist prayers that accompany death they noticed that Khenpo A-Chos' skin began to turn soft and pinkish. His students hurried to another lama to ask about this, and he told them to cover the body and continue their prayers. They placed a thin yellow monk's cloak over him and as the days passed, they saw his body was shrinking. By the end of the week, the students reported, nothing remained—just a few hairs left on the pillow. Khenpo A-Chos had apparently become what is known in Tibetan Buddhism as a Rainbow Body.

The story spread through Buddhist circles, making its way to the United States, where Brother David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine monk, heard it. He realized that the miraculous event had implications for Christianity: "If we can establish as an anthropological fact that what is described in the resurrection of Jesus had not only happened to others but is happening today," he said, "it would put our view of human potential in a completely different light."

Brother David enlisted the aid of Father Francis Tiso, an associate director of the secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington D.C., who also has a doctorate in Buddhist studies. Father Tiso journeyed to Kham with a translator and recorded the testimony of several people who had witnessed the events.

The lama who had been consulted by the students, Lama A-Chos (no relation), told him that achieving the rainbow body "is a matter of inner realization. It's not a philosophical idea. It's not a metaphor." He also showed Father Tiso photographs of himself, indicating what looked like light radiating from his body. Jane Bosveld, Discover Magazine, June 07.

Tiso interviewed Lama Norta, a nephew of Khenpo A-Chos, Lama Sonam Gyantso, a young disciple, and Lama A-Chos.

They described the following: A few days before Khenpo A-Chos died, a rainbow appeared directly above his hut. After he died, there were dozens of rainbows in the sky. Khenpo A-Chos died lying on his right side. He wasn’t sick; there appeared to be nothing wrong with him, and he was reciting the mantra Om mani padme hum over and over. According to the eyewitnesses, after his breath stopped his flesh became kind of pinkish. One person said it turned brilliant white. All said it started to shine.

Lama A-Chos suggested wrapping his friend’s body in a yellow robe, the type all Gelug monks wear. As the days passed, they maintained they could see, through the robe, that his bones and his body were shrinking. They also heard beautiful, mysterious music coming from the sky, and they smelled perfume.

After seven days, they removed the yellow cloth, and no body remained. Lama Norta and a few other individuals claimed that after his death Khenpo A-Chos appeared to them in visions and dreams.

Shrinkage of the body occurred with another guru, Lama Thubten. His miniature-sized frame is now kept in a monastery in Manali, India. Tiso has ascertained that incidents of bodies shrinking or disappearing shortly after death were documented centuries ago, such as in the classic story of Milarepa, a Buddhist saint from Tibet who lived in the 11th century.